Last year San Roque celebrated its 300th anniversary. This very traditional white town (it is no longer a village!) sits up on the hill between the Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean, looking down to Gibraltar and Africa, and it was said that it was founded when theAnglo/Dutch invaded what we now know as Gibraltar in 1706, and the local spaniards ‘fled to the hills’……….and so San Roque was born.

They brought with them, several religious images, which formed the basis for the beautiful church of St Mary the Crowned, which you will find after a steep, but worthwhile walk up Calle San Felipe. Take a peek at some of the houses on the way up, some of the most beautiful open courtyards are here, with traditional Andalucian patios full of fountains and plants that will take your breath away! Take a wander through it’s little winding streets, and don’t forget to look up, there is some beautiful old architecture to be seen.

Many people talk of the ‘Real Spain’ -well you couldn’t get any more real than this! San Roque is a town steeped in culture, they have their own Teatro (theatre) where local performers regularly show off their dancing and musical skills, you will find this right in the central square (The Alameda) , and there is always something to see there, from local schoolchildrens’ shows, to touring plays, or maybe a free open air show in the summer, where travelling bands of dancers, guitarists and singers perform in the late humid evenings. No spanish town would be complete without it’s weekly market - and San Roque is no exception………….everyone turns out for the sunday market, to haggle for fruit and veg, buy leather shoes for a pittance., and enjoy a cold beer and a tapa or two with friends.
The oldest bar in San Roque is just beside the town square - Bar Torres, where incidentally my grandfather was a waiter way back in the early 1930’s…My father and grandad - and their donkey! - used to pick wild asparagus to sell at market -from the hills around San Roque,which we now know as the beautiful golf courses of Sotogrande!!……..There is something in this town for everyone - the Pina del Rey forest, where whole families go to on Sundays to cook Paella in the open air, or a picnic, where the children can let off steam while the women catch up with the gossip! There are the Carteja Roman Bath ruins to visit, where you can stand and really feel a part of history…….San Roque loves it’s festivals, and they do them extremely well! Their Easter Processions have now become legendary, and people literally come from all over the province (and fly in from abroad!) to soak up the atmosphere, as the reinactment of the crucifixion, and the bands and sombre singers, can be followed throughout the whole Easter Weekend, with local children and adults carrying the heavily… adorned floats, for hours around the town………the sight of thousands of candles travelling through the winding streets is very moving…..once seen, never forgotten….

Then there is Carnaval!….where the children have a whole weekend of fancy dress, street parties, and competitions, lot’s of adults have also been seen to join in! And of course in the hot month of August…….there is The Feria! ….A whole week of partying , casetas, with music, wine, food cooked outdoors, pinchitos on sticks,calamares barbecued on hot coals for you to try, you will see the local ladies in all their traditional sevillana dresses, dancing until dawn, and the men so handsome in their gaucho boots, hats, …..and horses! There is fierce competition among the horsemen.with dancing competitions involving all ages, and all this is there for you to see…….for free! Well, they say that the best things in life are!…….San Roque is a real town - not manufactured for the tourist market….and because of that you will come away feeling a part of the whole place……………….